Tonight's performance of Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark canceled following "heated meeting"

Tonight’s sold-out performance of Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark has been canceled so that producers can implement new safety measures—such as a new procedure requiring that a second person confirm that an actor’s safety harness is secured before tossing him out into the labyrinth of high-tension wires and pitch-black pits, which is something that they have just now decided is probably a good idea.

Interestingly, the move comes after reports of a “heated meeting” between director Julie Taymor and the cast and crew on Tuesday, where Taymor offered a “pep talk” praising everyone’s hard work, then was met by company members who challenged her on whether the show was safe, or whether there was even time to learn all of these technical changes that are quickly amassing, thanks to stuff like rewrites and state labor laws. By all accounts, Taymor “responded calmly to the questions and emphasized that the safety of her cast and crew members was her foremost concern.” A spokesman for the production then assured everyone that the cast and crew would have “all the time they need” to absorb all those new technical changes, by which he means that the show resumes tomorrow night.